


Irreconcilability

by Ikusaegi



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood and Violence, Game: Kingdom Hearts III, M/M, Non-Consensual, Obsession, One-Sided Relationship, Possessive Behavior, Sexual Violence, Torture, Yandere
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:55:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23280574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ikusaegi/pseuds/Ikusaegi
Summary: ‘What… What are you going to do with us?’ Aqua gritted out as she scowled at the monster wearing her friend’s body, her nails gouging into her palms and her knuckles turning white when Xehanort met her anger with a sardonic grin.‘Ordinarily, I would just eliminate pawns that have outlived their purpose and move on with my plans…’ To illustrate his point, he raised Gazing Eye to Aqua’s neck, which made her go still in trepidation. ‘...But I am in no hurry to be elsewhere. I have plenty of time to spare, and I am sure my disciple would appreciate the opportunity to spend some quality time with ‘brother’ dearest.’
Relationships: Aqua & Terra & Ventus (Kingdom Hearts), Vanitas/Ventus (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 23





	Irreconcilability

_‘...Hey, Aqua?’_

_‘Yeah? What's the matter, Ven?’_

_‘...I’ve been doing a little thinking, and there's something I kinda… want to talk with you about.’_

_‘Hmm? What is it? I'm all ears.’_

_‘It's… It's about Vanitas.’_

* * *

As the sun blared down on the barren desert of the Keyblade Graveyard, a war waged between the defenders of light and the champions of darkness, each battle being held in designated zones divided from each other by the walls of the Skein of Severance. 

Not a minute had passed since Aqua's declaration of determination, and the air in the Twist of Isolation was already permeated with the cacophony of close-quarters combat and the residual heat, chill and crackle of high-tier spells. 

Dust clouds rose up and surrounded the combatants as Vanitas surfed around the battlefield on a deadly stream of fallen Keyblades, only to be blasted off by the powerful beams of light from Ven’s Salvation. Landing deftly on his feet, he wasted no time in returning on the offence. At the same time, Xehanort fired a string of Dark Volley projectiles at Aqua, who retaliated by deflecting most of them right back at him.

Xehanort grunted from the damage of his own magic, and brought up Gazing Eye to block the multi-coloured orbs of Aqua’s Prism Rain that came his way. Some homed in on Vanitas, and he had to be distracted with dodging them before he could launch another attack against Ven. Growling in irritation, he slashed Void Gear upwards and unleashed a vertical arc of energy in his target’s direction. Ven quickly ducked and rolled away a millisecond before it hit him. Once he straightened back up, he repaid Aqua's favour by following her example of using a Shotlock and charging at both of his opponents with a Multivortex of glowing blades and whirlwinds.

Utilising their respective methods of evasion, the two Seekers of Darkness cleared out of the range of the vortex and focused their attention on Ventus. Vanitas moved to strike with the intention of trapping him in a devastating combo, but was thwarted by the sudden formation of stalagmites erupting from the ground, courtesy of Xehanort casting Quake. Both Ven and Vanitas leaped out of the way, but not before the rocks grazed them. 

Hissing from the sting, Vanitas glared at his supposed ally, who only smirked at him before engulfing himself in darkness and dashing at Aqua at lightning speed. Gazing Eye slammed against Master Keeper multiple times in succession, and the last impact sent Aqua skidding backwards. With the smirk still plastered on the face he robbed from Terra, he whipped his hand out towards Aqua, and a bunch of purple chains materialised out of nowhere to wrap around her and pin her arms to her sides. Xehanort clamped his fingers together, and the chains started tightening around her as she groaned and attempted to wriggle free. But her limbs soon grew numb, and Master Keeper slipped out of her grasp.

Ven was in the middle of exchanging blows with Vanitas when he heard the commotion behind him, and he promptly turned around to find out what was happening. He yelled out her name the moment he spotted her, and in the hopes of helping her, hurled Wayward Wind in a Strike Raid at the portion of the chains hanging above her…

...leaving him defenceless as Vanitas warped in front of him, grabbed his shoulders and introduced his knee to his gut. With the wind knocked out of him, the blonde couldn’t resist as Vanitas seized his forearms and held them over his head. Xehanort, who had smacked Wayward Wind aside before it could reach Aqua, acquiesced to his apprentice’s silent request and generated some more chains to bind Ventus’ wrists together and lift him slightly off the ground. Forced to stand on his tiptoes, Ven could only cough as he futilely tried to wrench his arms apart. 

Xehanort surveyed the scene smugly, and barked out in laughter. To think, the two Guardians of Light were putting up such a good fight just a few moments ago. Indeed, this was a testament to the superiority of the darkness. In spite of Sora’s meddling with the timeline, darkness shall still prevail, and light shall still expire. The prophecy won’t be subverted so easily.

‘What… What are you going to do with us?’ Aqua gritted out as she scowled at the monster wearing her friend’s body, her nails gouging into her palms and her knuckles turning white when Xehanort met her anger with a sardonic grin.

‘Well, seeing as we have clashed sufficiently to contribute to the forgery of the X-blade…’ Somewhere atop a cliff in the Tower of Endings, two more duplicates have been added to the collection of Gazing Eyes that’s being gathered by Xehanort’s eldest incarnation. ‘...I believe that none of you are of any further use to me.’

‘Don’t… don’t you… hurt Aqua...’ Ven panted out after the coughing had subsided, his tone commanding and pleading simultaneously. ‘Please… Terra… I know… you’re still in there… Please… You have to figh-’ He was cut off when Vanitas gripped his jaw and forced him to look at him, his grimace reflected on the opaque visor of his enemy’s helmet.

‘That’s cute, Ventus. But I would suggest worrying about yourself first.’ With that said, his hand slid down to the piece of armour sitting around Ventus’ midsection, and clenched it until it dented and shattered. A look of apprehensive confusion appeared on the blonde’s face as the shards of ruined metal dropped onto the floor, but it was swiftly replaced by an expression of shock when a burst of pain exploded in his abdomen. ‘After all, you’re pretty tied up yourself.’

‘Ven!’ Aqua shouted as Vanitas retracted his fist from Ven’s navel, and the latter began coughing again. ‘Stop it! Let him go!’ She renewed her efforts in her struggle against Xehanort’s perversion of Master Eraqus’ chains, but to no avail. Xehanort shook his head and snickered in exasperated amusement.

‘Ordinarily, I would just eliminate pawns that have outlived their purpose and move on with my plans…’ To illustrate his point, he raised Gazing Eye to Aqua’s neck, which made her go still in trepidation. ‘...But I am in no hurry to be elsewhere. I have plenty of time to spare, and I am sure my disciple would appreciate the opportunity to spend some quality time with ‘brother’ dearest.’ He lowered his weapon and addressed his accomplice. ‘Isn’t that right, Vanitas?’

‘Hmph.’ The masked figure responded curtly, contempt evident in his voice while he wrapped an arm around his captive’s waist to keep him in place. ‘And what, you expect me to be grateful and thank you for it?’ He punctuated his retort with another vicious punch to Ventus’ stomach, and was rewarded with a choked gasp from his other half. 

Aqua, quite predictably, resumed her thrashing as she snarled at Vanitas. Xehanort chuckled, paying her no heed. ‘No, I do not. Though you’re certainly welcome to do so.’ He answered mockingly, and reclined against the hillside behind him to observe the proceedings.

* * *

_It hurts so much. Stop it. Please, I'm begging you._

_I'm going to die._

_Somebody, please save me._

A litany of pleas for mercy ran through Ven's mind, but every time he tried to give voice to them, he would be interrupted by what felt like a sledgehammer being driven into his gut.

Convulsions wracked his entire frame as strangled cries emitted from his throat and blood overflowed from his mouth. He could feel his organs rupturing, and blood flooding his insides. But even then, his tormentor showed no signs of ceasing his administrations, and kept plunging his fists into his abdomen over, over and over again. 

Aqua had long since screamed herself hoarse, and the tear tracks trailing down her face parallelled the crystalline beads dotting Ven's cheeks. Her elbows and biceps were chafed raw and bleeding from her fruitless flailing. Sapped of all strength, the only thing she could do to stave off her despair was to pray for someone, anyone, to come and rescue them.

At some point, Vanitas had unbuttoned Ventus' vest and ripped open his black turtleneck shirt because the fabric acted as a cushion that prevented him from receiving the full brunt of the beating, revealing the crimson and violet bruises that adorned his skin. Each subsequent blow exacerbated his internal haemorrhage, and it truly felt as though his innards were being mashed into paste.

Sobbing and drowning from his own blood, Ven’s head was lifted up by his hair, and he found himself gazing lifelessly at Vanitas’ golden irises as his helmet melted away, until all that’s left was the silver jawpiece. Before he could register it, a pair of lips pressed against his own and stole whatever chance he had at taking in a breath.

Vanitas moaned into the kiss, and stuck his tongue into his light’s mouth to intertwine with his. Just then, a sadistic idea popped into his brain. Readying his fist once more, he rammed it deep into Ventus’ stomach again, and relished the coppery tang of the blood that he expelled from his system.

A viscous strand of scarlet liquid temporarily bridged their tongues when Vanitas pulled away, matching the stains drying on Ventus' chin and chest, and the glistening puddle on the ground between them. Satisfied and somewhat drained from the workout, Vanitas stepped back and regarded his human punchbag with a semblance of contentment. But no, he wasn't done. Not by a long shot. 

Slowly and deliberately, he unbuckled his belts, detached his codpiece and willed the area of his bodysuit covering his crotch to unfurl, exposing his groin. The erectness of his manhood betrayed his arousal, along with the pre-ejaculate oozing from his urethra. 

His vision blurry from tears, Ventus could barely see, let alone process Vanitas’ state of partial undress. His whole world had been reduced to the excruciating torture he was being subjected to, and the visceral agony overwhelmed all of his mental faculties. He couldn’t even sense it when Vanitas hooked his fingers inside the waistband of his bottoms, and started tucking them down-

‘Stop it… _stop it!’_ Aqua croaked out raspily and hysterically, her features twisted in abject horror. ‘Why are you doing this!? What has he done to deserve this!?’ Unbidden, her memories of the previous night crept into the forefront of her mind, and they only served to fuel her fury and indignation.

* * *

_‘...Are you concerned about what he might do tomorrow? It’s going to be alright, everyone here and I will be there with you. You won’t have to face him by yourself.’_

_‘No, no, that’s not what I wanted to talk with you about. It’s just… Remember the dreams I’ve mentioned, back on the stairs?’_

_‘Uh-huh.’_

_‘Well, to tell you the truth… I’ve also dreamt about Vanitas, and in those dreams, he was… I’ll just say that Xehanort was as cruel to him as he was to me, if not moreso. And I can’t help but wonder, if we should really treat him like an out-and-out bad guy. Maybe… maybe if it weren’t for Xehanort, he wouldn’t have been so dead-set on forging the X-blade and causing an apocalypse…’_

_‘...So you believe those dreams were real, and that they showed you his history?’_

_‘...Yes.’_

_‘And you’re thinking of trying to talk him out of siding with Xehanort as one of his Seekers?’_

_‘Yeah, kinda… Xehanort had been a really, really awful Master, and that was all Vanitas had ever really known. Maybe, if I were to offer to take him home with us, he might change for the better. After all, he used to be a part of me… So if the Land of Departure can be my home, then it can be his home as well.’_

_‘...’_

_‘And if that’s not what he needs… Then, I’m… I’m willing to let him return to my heart.’_

_‘Ven! What are you saying!?’_

_‘C-calm down, Aqua! Please listen to my explanation first. Xehanort wasn’t the only reason why he turned out the way he did. He… Being pure darkness also did a number on his psyche. That’s why he wanted to become one with me again so badly, and I understand that now.’_

_‘Ven…’_

_‘So… I don’t see why I shouldn’t try and grant him some peace. Plus, that way, I can keep him in check, so he won’t wreak more havoc and endanger the Worlds any more than he already did.’_

_‘...And if he refuses your offer? If he insists on engaging us in combat? What then?’_

_‘Then I’ll fight back to protect everyone. I just think it’s worth a shot. Either way, he’s my responsibility, and I have to accept that.’_

_‘...I’m still not convinced about this, Ven. I… I can’t forget about all the things we’ve gone through because of his and Xehanort’s actions.’_

_‘...’_

_‘...But I’m not the one who had those dreams, so I’ll just have to trust that you know what you’re doing.’_

_‘...I’m sorry for making you fret over me like this, Aqua…’_

_‘You don’t have to apologise! ...No matter what, I’ll always be by your side.’_

* * *

Why was he doing this? What did Ventus do to deserve this?

Vanitas scoffed internally and tuned out Aqua’s wailing. She would shut up soon enough-

‘He was willing to put aside his grievances with you! He was willing to bring you home with him! He told me-’

‘-that he wanted to ‘grant me some peace’, right? So he could ‘keep me in check’?’

Now _that_ did the trick.

‘...Huh?’

‘I’ve heard it all, you know. Through my connection with Ventus. Your conversation last evening. I’ve heard it all, like a fly on the wall.’

‘Then… then why-’

‘You wanna know why? I’ll tell you why.’ 

As Vanitas sneered out his words, he stripped off his light's baggy trousers and undergarment and tossed them aside, laying the lower half of his body bare for him to behold.

‘What’s the point of reuniting with Ventus, if I’m just going to be suppressed and contained like some feral beast that required constant sedation? Tell me, does that honestly sound like an appealing fate to you?’

He didn’t wait for a reply. Unclasping the Mark of Mastery brooch fastening the black straps around Ventus’ torso, he frowned at it in disdain and carried on speaking, all while he crushed it in his palm.

‘What’s the point of living in the Land of Departure, when all that will accomplish is putting myself in close proximity to my ‘brother’ without actually filling the emptiness within me? That’s tantamount to dangling a carrot closer to a rabbit, when it would still be unreachable. Even worse, I’d have to watch him continue playing at being a family with you and that buffoon you call Terra.’ Xehanort couldn’t repress a snort at that insult to his vessel. ‘And I want no part of that.’

Vanitas upturned his hand, and the brooch fell off, misshapen and deformed beyond recognition. Without it securing them, the black straps followed suit. The only articles of clothing Ventus was left with now were his two-tone jacket, vest, shoes and the torn remains of his turtleneck shirt. 

‘In order for us to join together, a duel between us, pure light versus pure darkness, is necessary, and equilibrium has to be achieved. And through that conflict, a facsimile of the X-blade is automatically created.’ Vanitas aimed a cold stare at his egotistical mentor. ‘That would obstruct my Master’s current procedure for the forgery of the true X-blade, however, so he took steps to ensure that duel wouldn’t come to pass. That’s why he’s really here: to disrupt the balance of our showdown. Your presence here only reinforced that disruption.’ 

He shifted his sight back to Ventus, and caressed his tear-streaked cheek. ‘With you two here, Ventus couldn’t concentrate on fighting me either.’ His touch stiffened. ‘Not that he had any active desire to do so.’

It was a setback he had foreseen, and he had attempted to circumvent it by turning up at the throne room of the Land of Departure. His goal had been to dispatch Aqua, Sora and their animal companions, and to hold them hostage as an incentive for Ventus to do battle with him after waking him up. If he had been successful, Xehanort’s schemes would have been foiled as well, and that would have been a welcome bonus. Unfortunately, Ventus had woken up too soon.

(In another timeline, he had made another attempt to merge with Ventus when Xehanort had ambushed and knocked him out, by taking advantage of his combined unconsciousness and emotional turmoil to access his Station of Awakening. But he had failed, even after he had evicted Sora and sicced the Dark Inferno X on him, likely because no confrontation had occurred between him and Ventus. It had been foolish of him to try and bypass the prerequisite of a clash. And even if he had succeeded, the all-consuming rampage of the Demon Storm would have rendered it meaningless.) 

‘It’s plain to me that I won’t be able to unite with Ventus on my own terms today, so I’ll have to settle on having my way with him instead. It’s the next best thing I can get out of this.’

Turning his full attention back to his other half, Vanitas smeared the few droplets of his pre-ejaculate around his shaft, barely lubricating it. He then propped Ventus’ smooth legs over his shoulders, gripped him by the well-rounded curves of his hips and aligned himself to his entrance. 

Disregarding Aqua’s rabid protests, he pressed his phallus against Ventus’ orifice and pushed the tip in, causing him to wince and squirm languidly. Before he could adjust to the intrusion, Vanitas yanked him down and buried his entire length inside him.

Ventus _shrieked_ , and started writhing violently as his inner walls squeezed and spasmed around the thickness of his defiler's flesh. His eyes widened in pain as more tears welled up. The girth of Vanitas’ member was splitting him open, and he instinctively arched his back to lessen the agony in vain.

A wave of pleasure instantly coursed through Vanitas, and he exhaled shakily. Yes, this was what he yearned for, an escape from the perpetual negativity that governed his existence. But this was merely a brief respite; it paled in comparison to the salvation he would attain by reclaiming Ventus and wrestling control from him permanently. To be conscious and aware of the tranquility Ventus’ light could bestow upon him again… it would be pure bliss.

The blonde in question was now weeping incoherently and trembling in his grasp. Vanitas pulled out, and immediately penetrated Ventus again, eliciting another shriek from him. Distantly, Vanitas could hear chains rattling and hateful threats being directed towards him. But he couldn’t be bothered to care, not when he’s enjoying himself for once in his life. Digging his nails into his other half's pelvis, he began pounding into him at a rapid and punishing rate, and basked in the velvety warmth of his passage and the music of the ensuing screams. 

This was only a fraction of what Ventus owed him. Because of his cowardice and ineptitude, he had to endure four years of Xehanort’s inhumane tutelage and self-serving manipulations, eleven years of maddening solitude in a factory where he had to rely on external forces to recover his physicality and power, and a lifetime of vomiting, spawning and vanquishing Unversed as a form of training and self-flagellation. 

Ventus’ acknowledgement and understanding of his plight were irrelevant. To him, Vanitas was just a problem he had a duty to solve. His rationale for extending an olive branch was aggravatingly altruistic and impersonal, and Vanitas neither needed nor wanted his pity or charity. What was more significant to him, was that his fervent longing for unity wasn’t reciprocated. And to be perfectly frank, that’s fine by him. If anything, it enabled him to prove his dominance over his light.

(It didn’t matter to him that he originated as a separate entity from Ventus, according to the memories he regained of an era long past. It was an important distinction, to be sure. But they don’t erase the experiences he had incurred for over a decade, perhaps even over a millennium. In the end, Vanitas was still Ventus’ darkness, and Ventus was still Vanitas’ light.)

Ventus’ screams eventually quieted down to pitiful sobs and sniffles, and he flinched when Vanitas sunk his teeth into his collarbone and pinched his nipples hard, marking him further. After sucking on the lovebite he branded Ventus with, he moved down to apply the same treatment to his swollen nipples, earning him another twitch from the blonde. 

As he continued ploughing into his other half's depths, Vanitas decided it would be a waste not to put his other entryway to work. He positioned him horizontally, and the chains that bound the latter’s wrists descended slightly to accommodate the new angle. An inky silhouette, shaped like Vanitas himself, manifested from his shadow and walked into Ventus’ line of vision. It grabbed him by the temples, prodded at his mouth with its appendage, and shoved it down his pharynx before he could even blink.

The copy thrust in and out of Ventus’ oral cavity, and the sparks of euphoria pulsing through Vanitas increased twofold. Through his clone’s eyes, he could spy the suffering etched on Ventus’ face as he gagged in revulsion and utter misery. A surge of titillation rejuvenated him, and he impaled his light with even greater vigour. 

Moments passed, and the silhouette jerked as it climaxed and discharged its essence into Ventus’ mouth. The copy withdrew from his body, and smothered him with a hand before he could spit the fluid out. 

‘Swallow it.’ Vanitas commanded, his voice husky from lust. He was fast approaching his own limit.

Ventus shook his head and defied his order with his eyes screwed shut. Already, he could taste the sour bitterness of the foul substance.

‘I won’t repeat myself.’

But he couldn’t hold his breath for much longer, and he surrendered before he could faint from asphyxiation, shuddering in disgust as the milky secretion went down his oesophagus.

‘Good.’

With its task completed, the clone strolled back to its maker and vanished into his shadow. The chains reverted to their original altitude, and tilted Ventus back up. Appeased, Vanitas yanked him closer by his jacket to capture his lips in another kiss, and pierced him roughly a few more times. Savouring the heady flavours of Ventus’ bloody saliva and his copy’s semen, he reached his orgasm, and pumped his other half full with his own seed.

* * *

Once the intensity of the ecstasy waned and clarity returned to him, Vanitas broke off the kiss, and leaned back to admire his handiwork.

In addition to the bruises decorating his abdomen and the bloodstains clinging to his jaw and chest, there were now bite marks marring Ventus’ clavicle and nipples, inflamed and bleeding. Vanitas’ member was still inserted inside him, and his semen leaked out, mixing with the blood coating his loins. Ravaged and maimed within an inch of his life, Ventus hiccuped and quivered as he cried his heart out.

Thoroughly satiated, Vanitas was about to wipe his other half’s tears with his thumb when-

‘Aqua! Ven! Sorry I’m late! I had to help Kairi and Le-’ 

The rest of Sora’s words were lost to a loud and horrified gasp, as he paused in his sprint and gaped at Vanitas and Ventus.

‘V-Ven…?’ He stammered, dismayed and appalled. ‘Wh-What did you… _What did you do to him!?’_

Vanitas sighed in annoyance, and extricated himself from Ventus’ body. His bodysuit reformed and concealed his nether regions as Xehanort spread his arms out bombastically to greet Sora tauntingly.

‘Ah, at last, the hero makes his appearance!’ He leered at Aqua, who zeroed in on Sora the moment she was alerted to his arrival. ‘Rejoice, Aqua, for your prayers have been answered.’

‘Sora!’ She called out desperately through her damaged vocal cords. ‘You have to save Ven! Please!’ 

The brunet nodded resolutely, and rushed at Vanitas, Kingdom Key in hand. Xehanort tutted in disapproval, and summoned his Guardian to intercept him. The creature soared towards Sora, and he prepared to shield himself with his Keyblade…

...as the Guardian caught Vanitas’ head in its claw and smashed him against a wall. Taken by surprise, Vanitas grappled with its arm as it scratched and shredded the bandages muzzling it.

‘How… how _dare_ you… hurt Ven…’ The Guardian gnashed out lividly in Terra’s voice. ‘You… you’ll _pay_ … for this…’ This entire time, he had witnessed everything that transpired, and he could only seethe impotently from the confines of his own body, even after his armour had been destroyed and the disembodied thoughts it housed had diffused into the Guardian. But now… now he would set things right.

‘What the-!?’ Xehanort exclaimed, too stunned and stupefied to react. Vanitas, however, recovered his wits, and he fled from his predicament by conjuring a Corridor of Darkness on the wall and disappearing into it. The Guardian roared in frustration, and flew to where Ven was to break the chains shackling him. Catching his friend’s small and battered body gently before he could collapse, he carefully laid him on the floor in front of Sora, as though he was made of porcelain.

‘T-Terra…?’ Ven whimpered hopefully at the animalistic visage of the Guardian, a tiny and fragile sound, and it threatened to shatter Terra’s heart right then and there.

Xehanort bellowed in infuriation, and levelled Gazing Eye at his former minion. But before he could pepper him with dark bullets, he was hindered by several bolts of Thundaga from an enraged Aqua, who was liberated as an aftereffect of the Guardian’s breakage of the chains. At the same moment, Vanitas emerged from another Corridor of Darkness in the centre of the arena with a giant shower of fireballs.

Sora, who had procured an unfolded tent from his pouch to use as a makeshift blanket for Ven, repelled the flames reflexively with Reflega. When the smoke dissipated, Aqua hollered at him.

‘Sora! Keep Ven safe! Terra and I will handle this!’

It was a sentiment Sora could relate to. However, he wasn’t too keen on sitting this out, especially after what happened at the Land of Departure.

‘No, I won’t!’ He objected. ‘Three is better than two! We’ll beat them quicker that way!’

There was no time for an argument, and Aqua could comprehend the logic.

‘In that case…’ She snapped her fingers, and a dozen layers of barriers enveloped Ven in domes. They then ascended in midair and became spherical, with her friend curled up inside. She had more than learnt her lesson after Vanitas’ stunt during their previous battle. 

‘Now… Let’s end this!’

* * *

It didn’t take long for the Guardian to overpower Xehanort. 

He had fended off everything he could throw at him, and teleported right behind him to hoist him up in the air by his face. Xehanort kicked at and jabbed the Guardian with Gazing Eye ineffectually. Meanwhile, Aqua and Sora kept Vanitas occupied with a multitude of melee and ranged attacks. 

Aqua vented her wrath by swinging and spinning Master Keeper ferociously at Vanitas, and it only occurred to her now that, except for the pigmentation and musculature, he looked nigh-identical to Sora. _Sora_ , the boy who provided Ven’s heart with shelter in his own heartspace when he was still a child. The irony was not lost on Aqua, and it only magnified her resentment for the bastard.

As for Sora, he halted his onslaught when he noticed the Guardian’s triumph in his periphery, and pointed his Keyblade at Xehanort.

‘Now… give me back… my body… _XEHANORT!’_

‘No… No! Curse you, _TERRA!’_

A huge ray of light ejected from Kingdom Key and collided with Xehanort’s back, unlocking and unlatching his heart from its site in Terra’s body as the hole in the Guardian’s torso shone with a similar brightness. A heart abruptly exited the hole and barreled into Xehanort’s chest fiercely, banishing and purging any and all traces of him from his unwilling vessel once and for all, as the resulting illumination eradicated the Guardian and blinded everyone present.

When the light faded, Xehanort’s silver locks were replaced with brown hair, and when the man opened his eyes, they were blue instead of the dreadful gold hue that denoted Xehanort’s influence.

‘Terra!’

‘You’re back!’

Aqua’s and Sora’s elation was short-lived, however, as Vanitas would not allow them to linger on it. He propelled himself at Ventus, and dived down to stab the earth near him with Void Gear. Icebergs jutted out and cracked the outermost layer of Aqua’s barricade. 

Alarmed, Terra summoned Ends of the Earth and transformed it into a whip to ensnare Vanitas and fling him into the sky. In response, Vanitas assembled all the available Keyblades of the dead to orbit around him, and bombarded the three heroes with endless torrents of them.

Sora, Aqua and Terra did their utmost to avoid or parry the barrages of swords, and countered whenever they could. And regardless of how hard he fought, Vanitas was still outnumbered three-to-one. After withstanding enough repetitions of Ragnarok, Mega Flare and Ultima Cannon, he finally plummeted to the ground in defeat as he began evaporating into fumes of darkness.

Terra and Aqua hurriedly confronted him and brandished their Keyblades. But before they could finish him off, Sora placed his palms over the guards of their weapons and pushed them down placatingly but firmly.

‘That’s enough, guys. We’ve already won.’

They both scowled, and for a few seconds, it seemed as though they were going to ignore him. But then they yielded and relaxed their stances, albeit reluctantly. With that resolved, Sora drifted his attention to Vanitas.

‘Ven told me about your story yesterday. About how you two ended up being separated.’

Vanitas eyed his ‘twin’ disinterestedly. 

‘Yeah? What about it?’

‘Xehanort was the one who chose to rip you two apart. It wasn’t Ven’s fault at all. So why did you take it out on him? Why did you have to go so far?’ 

Upon hearing Sora’s enquiry, Vanitas sputtered and laughed psychotically and mirthlessly.

‘It wasn’t Ventus’ fault!? Why do you think Xehanort made that choice!? It was because he was a weakling who refused to harness the power of darkness, even if it’s to save his own skin!’

Aqua grumbled hostilely. ‘We don’t need to hear any more of thi-’

‘Oh no, I’m not done yet! Why do you think Ventus was a match for me all those years ago!? It was because of the Unversed! It was my darkness that toughened up the light in his heart! And through his annihilation of the Unversed, I myself was empowered, and I produced even stronger Unversed! It was a cycle of strength, initiated and sustained by darkness! So you know what that all means!?’

Terra glowered at Vanitas with nothing short of loathing. He could estimate where this was headed.

‘Darkness is the source of true strength! By rejecting it, Ventus forfeited his right to reign over our collective existence! After all, the weak should bow to the strong! That’s all there is to it!’

Sora stared at his doppelgänger sadly. 

‘...You’re wrong, Vanitas. True strength comes from the bonds we form with other people. When we band together, that’s when we can achieve anything.’

Vanitas couldn’t look more unimpressed.

‘Spare me the platitudes. I’m aware of how you denizens of the light operate. Isn’t that exactly how you bested me? The only way you could?’

He could sense the encroachment of his mortality, but he did not regret his decision to stay and fight to the death. To quit and retreat would have been a sign of weakness. He had his own philosophy to live and die by.

‘I abhor resorting to such cheap tactics. The only person I can depend on... is myself.’

With that final utterance of obstinance, the fumes completely overtook him, and he disintegrated up towards the skies.

* * *

Once the last vestiges of Vanitas billowed away, Aqua dismantled her barriers methodically with a thought, and raced to Ven’s side with Terra.

Terra knelt down and rested Ven’s head on his lap, whereas Aqua hovered her palms over him and started the healing process with Curaga. Ven peered at Terra blearily, and a smile of relief crept up on his face.

‘Terra… you’re really here… you’re really, _really_ here…’ 

A pang of undiluted guilt washed over Terra, and he had to resist the urge to tackle Ven in an embrace, lest he undo the effects of Aqua’s curative magic and worsen Ven’s injuries. So he ruffled his hair tenderly instead.

‘I’m so, _so_ sorry for letting that happen to you. I should have been stronger… I should have been stronger!’ Some teardrops dripped onto Ven’s already wet cheeks, and it took Terra a second to realise he was the one shedding them. ‘If I hadn’t been so useless, I could have stopped it so much earlier!’

Aqua’s hands tremored in empathy, and she echoed Terra’s anguished and self-deprecative apologies with equal vehemence.

‘I’m so sorry… _I’m so sorry!’_

‘No... no... Guys, don’t blame yourselves... Please don’t blame yourselves…’

But neither Terra nor Aqua could forgive themselves, and they persisted in apologising for their failure. Situated a fair distance away from the trio, Sora fidgetted in discomfort. He, too, couldn’t help but wish fervently that he had intervened sooner. He doubted he would ever forget the image of the trauma Vanitas inflicted on Ven.

‘Hey… Sora?’ Ven called out delicately in a whisper, snapping him out of his brooding. ‘Thanks… for bringing Terra back to us…’ 

Sora waved his gratitude off. ‘You don’t have to thank me. I’m just glad that I could help.’ He mentally debated whether or not to inform them about Xemnas’ abduction of Kairi, before coming to the conclusion that he shouldn’t spoil their happiness with the bad news.

‘...Anyway, I ought to get going. You guys take care of Ven.’

Terra and Aqua nodded in agreement, and Sora turned around to leave the arena. When he glanced back, he could glimpse the two hugging each other tearfully, before the gates of the labyrinth closed and sealed him out. 

That was another trinity mended. Good. Now, it’s time to find the remaining Seekers, rescue Kairi, and put an end to this absurd war.

_~Fin~_

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Feedback would be appreciated.


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